Tik Tak

Tik Tak
Genre	Children's TV show
Country of origin	Belgium
No. of episodes	366
Release
Original network	BRT (now the VRT)
Original release	November 1, 1981 – 1991

Tik Tak was a Belgian children's program that aired from on BRTN 1981 to 1991. It is aimed at toddlers.

History

The program was conceived by Mil Lenssens when he saw a few kids fascinated with watching the broadcast of a lotto draw. The predictable, repetitive mix of colors, movement and musical rhythms he processed with Clien De Vuyst in the program.^[1]

The show

There were 366 episodes produced (enough for one year, with 1 extra episode for leap years). Each episode begins with sheep (and the occasional dog) at sunset on a rotating platform, and ends with a shadow figure (Ann Ricour), who has all kinds of adventures in five differently colored books.^[2]

The first broadcast of the program took place on 1 November 1981 ^[3] on the BRTN (originally called BRT). It was broadcast on Ketnet in Belgium until 2006.

The program was sold to about 30 countries, such as Australia, Netherlands (where the KRO, Kindernet and TROS aired), Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United States and South Africa. It is thus one of the biggest export products that Belgian television has ever known.^[4]

In 1999, Hopla was released as a spiritual successor of Tik Tak. Though unrelated, Hopla was also made in Belgium, targeted the same infant demographics, and had little to no dialogue.

In popular culture

In July 2012 brought the German house duo Digitalism the song Falling from which the clip consisted of fragments of Tik Tak.

Source

1. ADRIAENS, Manu, Blijven kijken! 50 jaar televisie in Vlaanderen, Uitgeverij Lannoo, Tielt, 2003
2. ADRIAENS, Manu, Blijven kijken! 50 jaar televisie in Vlaanderen, Uitgeverij Lannoo, Tielt, 2003
3. ADRIAENS, Manu, Blijven kijken! 50 jaar televisie in Vlaanderen, Uitgeverij Lannoo, Tielt, 2003
4. ADRIAENS, Manu, Blijven kijken! 50 jaar televisie in Vlaanderen, Uitgeverij Lannoo, Tielt, 2003